Chapter Seventy-Two

Yan Mingting had never fought such a failure of a battle!

It was late at night, and the surroundings were completely silent, but Yan Mingting didn’t feel sleepy. He sat and pondered it for a long time, but received no answer.

And the person with him was already fast asleep after many days of difficult travel. Listening to his even breathing, Yan Mingting caressed his cheek in the dark. Zhao Yelan’s sweating and panting appearance took shape in his mind. It was obvious that a certain place was scorching hot again, and he obviously still had inexhaustible energy, so what was going on?

The General was worried, ah, so worried that he didn’t fall asleep all night. He worried when the rooster crowed and then got up lightly and went to court, where he was so worried that he frowned in the court hall.

Seeing him like this, the civil and military officials and the Emperor took turns praising him for his performance in Jiangnan, but the results still did not improve. Everyone took it for granted that he was worried about the country and the people. Even though the disaster was over, the General was still so worried about the country and the people!

After court was concluded, Yan Mingting was surrounded by officials scrambling to ask about the affairs in Jiangnan. He dealt with them one by one, and in the end only Kan Chuan was left standing by.

“Did the General encounter any danger during this trip?” Kan Chuan asked meaningfully.

Yan Mingting knew that he was inquiring about Zhao Yelan, and said: “The sun was so hot that I suffered heat stroke once, and I caught a cold after it rained again, but it is no longer a serious problem. Thank you, Kan-daren, for your concern.” 

Kan Chuan nodded, but noticed that he was sizing him up intentionally or otherwise, and asked: “What do you want to ask, General?”

Yan Mingting looked away abruptly with an embarrassed cough. After organizing his words for a long time, he finally choked out a sentence: “Daring to ask if you and your wife……forget it, it’s nothing. I heard you’ve been blessed with a daughter, congratulations, ah. It’s a pity that I couldn’t be there for the child’s full moon wine. This is the golden lock brought back from Jiangnan just for the baby.”

Yan Mingting took out a small golden lock from his bosom. It was shaped like a little tiger, on account of it being the Year of the Tiger.

“Many thanks, General.” Kan Chuan took it with a smile. He had no friendship with Yan Mingting, so he naturally knew it was a gift from Zhao Yelan. He solemnly placed it in his sleeve and cupped his hands, saying, “The General and my lord have worked hard these days. After you have rested, I will visit with my wife and daughter.”

“Okay.” Yan Mingting walked to the gate of the palace with him before parting ways with him, and couldn’t help but look at his frail back.

Tsk, the gentle and scholarly Kan Chuan had a child, so what was the use of his own muscles, ah? Ah?!

Thinking of this, Yan Mingting once again fell into deep melancholy. He returned to the General’s Mansion in a daze, and learned that Zhao Yelan had already gone to the Imperial Academy.

The people in the Imperial Academy wore different expressions upon seeing Zhao Yelan. Although they maintained their usual sense of distance, they glanced at him from time to time, wanting to speak but not daring to do so.

Until Ruan Xian came in and broke the deadlock. He walked quickly to Zhao Yelan and said, pleased beyond expectations: “You’ve returned, how was it? Nothing happened on the trip to Jiangnan, right?”

“It was fine,” Zhao Yelan answered.

“You worried us to death! You don’t even know that when we heard there was a drought, we were all anxious to death, trying to find ways to alleviate the disaster every day. But fortunately you came back safe and sound, and rescued so many people,” Ruan Xian said rejoicefully.

“You all?” Zhao Yelan was at a loss.

“Yes, ah.” Ruan Xian pointed at the others. “They were all worried about you.”

Zhao Yelan looked around doubtfully and the other people’s expressions tightened as if feeling embarrassed, and they turned their faces away awkwardly.

It had been less than half a year since he entered the Imperial Academy. At the beginning, these old men didn’t like him, and he didn’t intend to please them. Everyone saw to their own business and lived in peace for a while. Had these people’s attitudes toward him changed so quickly after being away for only two or three months?

“You don’t know, but first, in the case of the Jiangnan officials, several of our colleagues were sent to fill the vacancies. Others have been promoted one after another. Even I am now taking the place of Wang Guisheng, and I’ve become sixth-rank.” Ruan Xian pulled him aside and whispered, “Therefore, in public and in private, everyone admires you in their hearts. Not to mention the measures you took during the drought, which changed everyone’s opinions about you.”

Zhao Yelan understood. 

These people spent their days with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and their minds were simple and stubborn. When they thought that he was of low character, they naturally didn’t want to be close to him. But correspondingly, if they found that he also did things for the common people, they would naturally want to get close.

It was only that they wanted to save face.

Zhao Yelan walked to the courtyard gate, found Xiao Gao, and had him go back home to bring some special snacks from JIangnan. He put them on the table: “Everyone come and try them, ba.”

Ruan Xian was the first to join in. He picked up the cloud crisps and ate them, praising them over and over again.

The others were moved, but were too embarrassed to go forward, so Zhao Yelan called them one by one and everyone went down the steps and there were smiles all around. They asked him for details while eating, and when they heard him speak about the scene of the drought, they were terrified at the thought.

Not long after, Zhao Yelan was summoned to the palace to report on his duties.

Zhao Yelan had already prepared a bag to carry, and when he reached Xuanzheng Hall and prepared to salute, Zhao Xuan stopped him.

“There is no need to be so polite. Come, have a seat.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Zhao Xuan looked him over carefully and said: “You’re thinner.”

Zhao Yelan smiled wryly: “It’s a blessing to be able to come back alive.”

“Yes.” Zhao Xuan said apologetically, “If I had known that there would be a drought in the future, I would not have sent you to Jiangnan.”

“It’s no matter.” Zhao Yelan habitually pretended to cough twice and was suddenly taken aback, thinking of Yan Mingting. He was not unprotected now. Perhaps he could stop flattering the master for personal gain and abandon the method of humbly beseeching him for mercy.

So in the blink of an eye, he straightened his back again and looked at Zhao Xuan as if nothing had happened: “Others may not necessarily have been able to do this well.”

Zhao Xuan laughed. Although the words were arrogant, they were indisputable fact. He would rather that other courtiers could be so arrogant and submit a satisfactory answer sheet, but the others were not Zhao Yelan, after all.

Zhao Yelan reported the details of the drought meticulously. This talk lasted an hour, and his mouth was so dry that his tea was refilled several times.

Speaking of the merchants raising 80,000 taels for disaster relief, and therefore wanting the market in the capital to be open to them, Zhao Xuan agreed without question.

Zhao Xuan himself hated the late emperor’s method of managing the harem, and as soon as he heard that he wanted to circulate silk to the common people, he readily agreed.

Zhao Yelan also had a good idea of how he thought, so he had dared to open his mouth to the merchants in Huaizhou. He knew that Zhao Xuan’s original intention of fighting for power and profit was nothing more than wanting to win for his mother concubine.

Zhao Xuan’s mother concubine was just a maidservant. The late emperor had intercourse with her while drunk, but didn’t seem to remember it at all afterwards. It wasn’t until her belly grew big that she was given a promised position, and she was never favored.

And the rewards in the harem never belonged to this mother and son. The other favored concubines had a few sets of good clothes from Jiangnan every day, but his mother concubine still wore old clothes that had been washed white, and even the court ladies and eunuchs didn’t treat them well.

Zhao Yelan also mentioned Li Yucheng who had helped this time, and let him manage this batch of goods shipped from Jiangnan.

Li Yucheng had a special status. His father was the Prime Minister, but he had no official position. It was better to let him manage the business as a son of the family. With such a special status, those merchants dared not create difficulties or come up with other crooked ideas, and it was conducive to business exchanges.

After hearing this, Zhao Xuan had no objections.

Zhao Yelan mentioned Magistrate Sun’s performance again, and commented pertinently: “Magistrate is a true local magistrate, and persevered until the end.”

As he spoke, Eunuch Gao passed by outside and said: “Your Majesty, Concubine Xian is asking to see you.”

“Tell her to come.”

Sun Muyun hurried in, and was told by Zhao Xuan: “Walk slowly if you are pregnant,” so she slowed down and went straight to Zhao Yelan’s seat with a troubled look: “Zhao-daren, may I ask if you have any news about my father?”

Zhao Yelan glanced at her belly, knowing that she had a dragon vein, and her status had risen again.

“My lady, do not worry, the magistrate is fine. When I was in Wangcheng, I received the news that he fainted in the government office and was rescued by a doctor. He should have almost recovered by now,” Zhao Yelan said.

“That’s good, that’s good……” As Sun Muyun spoke, tears fell down her face. This carefree person seemed to have stabilized a lot in a short period of time, and her eyes were not only filled with eating, drinking, having fun, and looking at beautiful men.

“My lady, take care of your health.” Zhao Yelan handed her the package that had been set aside. “These are some hometown snacks prepared for you by the magistrate. There were still a few jars of lotus flower wine, but we used them to quench our thirst and drank them all.”

“Thank you for your life-saving grace, my lord.” Sun Muyun glanced at him gratefully and didn’t bother them further, quickly leaving the palace with the package in her arms like a baby.

Zhao Xuan looked after her anxiously, sent Eunuch Gao to follow, and then gave Zhao Yelan a sudden smile: “You really contributed a lot this time, ah. Tell me, what reward do you want?”

“The ones who contributed the most this time were actually Yan Mingting’s subordinates, who still insisted on implementing every order despite being exposed to the sun every day. Without them, I couldn’t have achieved anything without support, and it would have been impossible to evacuate the people so easily. So if it pleases Your Majesty, they can be rewarded,” Zhao Yelan said sincerely.

“Yan Mingting already mentioned this matter in early court, and I have already rewarded them generously.” After Zhao Xuan spoke, he looked at him with some novelty. “You are a little different.”

“How so?”

“At a time like this, the first thing you think of is those subordinates.”

Zhao Yelan smiled helplessly: “Perhaps it is because I witnessed it with my own eyes.”

In the past, he always thought that Yan Mingting’s heart for the world was innate, and that because he was born in the General’s Mansion, he should take on this important task as a matter of course.

But during this period of time, when every moment was so difficult, he himself was treated the best. The journey was hard, but the only carriage was given to him.

When he was sitting in the carriage, he looked at the long queue behind him. Everyone was sweating profusely, with tanned skin and chapped lips, but no one complained of suffering. They still listened to his transfer arrangements and protected the people.

He suddenly understood where Yan Mingting’s heart came from. Facing so many soldiers who sacrificed their lives for righteousness and worked hard every day, whose heart would not be moved?

Even if he lacked the strength to truss a chicken, he still wanted to do something for this group of people, not to mention Yan Mingting.

“Is there any other reward you want?” Zhao Xuan asked again. “Do you want to go back to court?”

“No.”

Zhao Xuan was stunned for a moment, not having expected him to refuse so quickly: “Are you angry with me?”

“No, I just think the Imperial Academy is pretty good.”

Of course, there was also an element of anger. He didn’t want to become accustomed to Zhao Xuan’s current mood. When he was in a good mood, he gave an official position and expected him to be deeply grateful.

What’s more, now was the time when he had the best reputation. He didn’t want to return to court right away, because it would make people think that his previous behavior was all for the sake of returning to court, and he would soon become the target of public criticism as his achievements were forgotten.

He would do things for the people, but he was not a good, selfless person. If you did good deeds, you must leave a name. He wanted the common people to remember him. He wouldn’t be as famous as Yan Mingting in history, but at least he wouldn’t drag Yan Mingting into infamy.

In the past, he did things of his own accord and didn’t care about the opinions of the outside world, but now that he had thought about it, he would definitely be with Yan Mingting forever in the future and would not allow him to have anyone else. As such, he didn’t know how future generations would comment on their relationship, but he didn’t want the history books to reduce the relationship between the two of them to unofficial gossip, thus obliterating Yan Mingting’s hard work and contributions over the years.

His person would definitely be remembered by future generations.

So he would do his best to create a good image and not allow himself to be a stain on him.

“At present, I just want to study in the Imperial Academy so that I can lead a more relaxed life,” Zhao Yelan said.

Zhao Xuan stared at him for a while, but couldn’t find any trace of deceit, and said: “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Zhao Yelan took a sip of tea. “After this experience, I have also opened my eyes. What power, ah, what benefits, ah, they are not as important as living well.”

Like hell.

Zhao Xuan smiled: “Do you remember what you told me when you were young? You said you wanted to be a master.”

“It’s different now.” Zhao Yelan looked down at the tea leaves with a twitch of his mouth. “I have been a master, but I wasn’t happy.”

Zhao Xuan was uneasy. Why did such words seem to be talking about him?

Now he was the ruler of a country, but he was busy and exhausted, overwhelmed by the responsibility on his shoulders. After some thought, he actually felt that the happiest time was the Lantern Festival many years ago. With Zhao Yelan’s help, he snuck out of the palace, and they watched the lanterns together, guessed the lantern riddles, and had fun out in the world.

“Then when do you feel the happiest?” Zhao Xuan asked.

Zhao Yelan pondered for a long time, but couldn’t say anything, because the daily life in the General’s Mansion made him feel the happiest.

He shook his head and didn’t answer, so Zhao Xuan didn’t ask any more questions and said with a smile: “Since you want to stay in the Imperial Academy, then do as you wish. It is only that rewards should be given, otherwise people will say that I am unfair.”

“This official obeys.”

Zhao Xuan quietly observed his demeanor, feeling that he was not the same as before, but he couldn’t tell exactly what had changed. It wasn’t until he looked into the other’s eyes that he realized that it was his eyes that had changed.

When he brought him in as a child, his eyes were dim and gloomy, and even his speech was icy.

Later, both of them had glory and wealth, and his eyes became less dim, but they were still as deep as an ancient well without waves. Even when he smiled, there were no ripples in his eyes, and it was clearly a perfunctory smile at first glance.

And now, he obviously didn’t do anything else, let alone smile, but his eyes were vivid, and they were a little brighter when he looked at people. Maybe the scorching Jiangnan sun had fallen into his eyes and stained them with light.

Zhao Xuan was slightly moved, and even happy for him. In a good mood, he said: “Are you satisfied with fourth rank? Don’t you want things like gold and silver jewelry, silk and spices from the Western Regions?”

Zhao Yelan began to think seriously.

Seeing this, Zhao Xuan said even more grandly: “Speak, ba, as long as it is something in my treasury, I will reward it to you. Pick whatever you want.”

“Your Majesty isn’t deceiving me?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“En, I keep my word,” Zhao Xuan declared.

“I want the Chisha Sword,” Zhao Yelan said. The words were astonishing.

The Chisha Sword was the weapon used by the founding emperor of the Xuan Dynasty when he conquered the country. Later, the Imperial sword was given to the General Protecting the Nation. Before his death, the General Protecting the Nation returned it to the Zhao family, and since then it had been kept in the treasury and never saw the light of day.

Zhao Xuan’s expression changed a few times: “This is the country’s most important weapon, what do you want to do?”

“If the country’s most important weapon has not been exposed to the light, it is nothing more than broken copper and iron. It is better to give it to the right person, which not only highlights the benevolence and righteousness of His Majesty, but also inspires the hearts of the courtiers to serve the country,” Zhao Yelan said.

“The right person……” Zhao Xuan thought about his words, and realized that this was a reward for Yan Mingting. He couldn’t tell what he was feeling, and the smile at the corners of his mouth drooped. “You two have such a good relationship?”

In the past, Zhao Yelan would have definitely avoided suspicion, but today he blurted out: “Yes.”

Zhao Xuan frowned slightly.

“Your Majesty does not have to worry about his high position and authority. He, more than anyone else, does not wish for war. This trip to the south, he contributed no less than me, but he has no official position to be promoted, so I want to ask for the sword for him. When the soldiers see it, they will also believe that His Majesty is a benevolent ruler.” Zhao Yelan lifted him up to high place so that it would be difficult for him to step down.

Zhao Xuan was silent for a long time, but agreed.

This sword was truly useless to him, but the Yan family’s two generations of generals were indeed worthy of the name and worthy of this sword. Moreover, he had already shamed the Yan family by bestowing a marriage, so he simply gave away the sword.

“Since you want this reward, I won’t let you casually take it back now. Tomorrow, I will personally reward him in front of all the civil and military officials.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Zhao Yelan said solemnly.

Zhao Yelan left the palace and went to the Imperial Academy. It was not until dusk that he returned to the General’s Mansion in a sedan chair.

As soon as he entered the gate, he saw Housekeeper Qin circling anxiously in the front hall and asked: “What happened?”

“My lord, something is wrong, the General is sick!” Housekeeper Qin hurried forward to say.

“What sort of illness?”

“I just don’t know what’s causing it, that’s the trouble.” Housekeeper Qin led him to the bedroom. “Today he practiced the sword all day in the residence. Just now, he called Doctor Yao and said that he was sick, but when Doctor Yao asked him what the symptoms were, he didn’t speak. The two stared at each other for almost half an hour.”

Zhao Yelan paused, thinking of something, and raised his eyebrows. His shoulders trembled slightly and he walked into the bedroom with a suppressed smile, just in time to bump into Yao Muze, who was about to faint.

He sent Yao Muze away with a few words, and the man took his leave immediately as if he had received amnesty.

Zhao Yelan asked Housekeeper Qin to see to his own business again, and closed the door. Walking in front of Yan Mingting, he tilted his head to observe his dull expression, and knew that he hadn’t come out of the shadows yet.

Zhao Yelan smiled softly and scratched his chin.

Only then did Yan Mingting slowly raise his head, feeling very wronged, and look at him helplessly: “What should I do, ah……tell me, do I have some unspeakable illness?”

“It’s all right.” Zhao Yelan sat on his lap, put his arms around his neck, and lowered his head to kiss his lips. “As long as we understand each other, we don’t have to do that sort of thing.”

Anyway, hadn’t they been alone for the past twenty years or so? It wasn’t like they couldn’t live anymore, as long as their souls had sustenance.

Moreover, he was really afraid of pain, and opening up yesterday nearly killed him. He didn’t know why so many people were obsessed with it.

“Thank you for your comfort, but it didn’t work.” Yan Mingting felt that his dignity was about to shatter, and he wouldn’t be able to hold his head up as a man anymore wuwu.

Seeing that he was wilted like a frosted-over eggplant, Zhao Yelan pondered for a moment, touched his strong arms and chest, and sighed in embarrassment: “If you must experience it, then I will try hard to give it a shot? Tomorrow I’ll just get up early to do horse stance? Are you losing weight?”

“… … … …” Yan Mingting heard the sound of his dignity being completely shattered.